Here’s a quick update for the New Year. All the Ofcom paperwork is now submitted and in due course they will issue the Ensemble and Service IDs which will enable us to configure services. The telecoms links for all but one of our services are now in.
To demonstrate some of the progress made, below are some pictures from the Moel Y Parc transmitter install. Look closely and you can see the labels.
Work continues as we approach Christmas. The Wrexham Rhos and Moel-y-Parc transmitters are installed and powered-up. 3G Modems for telemetry at these sites are scheduled to be installed this week. St John’s Beacon transmitter, antennas and rack are with the installation contractor, awaiting the OK for installation subject to permissions and weather. This transmitter’s telecoms connectivity is currently providing longest delay.
On the service side the multiplexer rack is installed at Mux Centre and configuration is ongoing – we are awaiting service IDs from Ofcom and BBC which will determine how analogue and digital versions link up. Encoders are installed and tested at Dee, Juice, Nation, Real Radio, BBC Radio Cymru and BBC Radio Wales. SDSL links (the telecoms that get the station output to the multiplex) for Dee is installed, the links for other services start feeding in January.
Below is the multiplexer installed in its rack (on the left). We’re trying to get some pictures of the transmitters and some other parts of the project so you can see how things are taking shape. We hope to have more updates and pictures soon.
Here’s another update on the progress for our Wrexham, Chester and Liverpool multiplex.
We’re pleased to announce that we now have transmitters installed and powered at two of our three sites – Wrexham Rhos and Moel-y-Parc. In addition, the steel work for the mast to support the antenna has been delivered to St John’s Beacon and is awaiting fitting. We’re pushing to get as much done as possible on masts before the seasonal “freeze” on planned work around the Christmas period.
This week also sees multiplexer bay and equipment delivered to our transmission HQ in London and we’re finalising the configuration details. This includes kbit/s, labels, links to FM (where needed) and several other variables to ensure stations present in the way they and their listeners would like.
We’ve also started hooking up service providers to the network, with three down and three more to go.
The transmitter builds are progressing but telecoms delays continue to hamper our ability to currently announce a launch date.
More positively, we’re excited to see our multiplexers commissioned and installed into the rack. Here are a couple of pictures. You can see that there are two IPCs – one is the main and one is the backup; they’re otherwise identical. The multiplexing software is loaded up and all the information on the services is programmed in. The other things in the rack are GPS clocks and routers. This is the heart of our multiplex and we can’t wait to bring the whole thing to life as soon as we can.
Work continues for the launch, here’s a quick update of where things stand.
Our transmitters are arriving in the UK this week and installation will commence immediately. Given the time of the year, weather issues will always remain a variable in the build timetable. The multiplexer (the software that multiplexes the audio) is built and expected to be in place in the next two weeks.
It’s disappointing that delays to some telecoms provision mean that we can’t yet provide a firm date for our launch. We do, however continue to push forwards and hope to be able to provide more information soon.
The summer saw a flurry of orders – for everything; antennas, filters, transmitters, telecom circuits, encoders, routers and a LOT of cable ties. Now we move into the delivery phase with the work being scheduled to install all this stuff; from our transmitters on the masts to delivery of all this encoding equipment and circuits to each radio station. It’s actually a lot less equipment in station’s racks rooms than used to be the case – now it’s about 4U in total, it used to be 16U back in the day.
The line-up stands the same it was at the start of the launch process, no changes there, in case you were curious.
Something we’re offering that’s a bit new is that we will be transmitting a small station logo via the multiplex data on the DAB Carousel. This means that where devices have the functionality they can display this alongside the station’s name.
Our transmission subcontractor advises us that we are on track for our launch this Autumn and we can’t wait. Given the time of year weather is a factor that may impact on transmitter work especially given the very exposed nature of Moel Y Parc so we’re holding off on circulating a definite date at the moment but that’s where we are.
The Department of Culture, Media and Sport have just announced that the Government, the BBC and the commercial operators have signed a Memorandum of Understanding over the future roll-out of digital radio.
Why is this important? Well, the radio industry has a number of different stakeholders and they all have different priorities and aims. The development of digital radio affects these organisations in a myriad of ways. As a simple example – the BBC is keen for all licence fee payers to be covered by DAB and the commercial digital multiplexes need to build out the coverage that’s economically viable. Agreeing on a plan, as you can imagine, could cause some tensions.
The MoU has tackled many of these issues and has set out a very specific roadmap for improvements to existing infrastructure, the plan for the roll-out of new local multiplexes (like ours and Arqiva’s) as well as the Government’s position on switchover.
It’s the result of many months of, er, discussion by all the parties. By signing it’s overcome many of the disagreements and started to bind together all of the stakeholders to push digital radio forward.
The press-release talks about “the launch of at least five new local multiplexes, including in Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire”. This is the wording that describes the first five launches from ourselves and Arqiva. We’re in the process of finalising the Gloucester transmission contract at the moment and when this is done we’ll be able to firm up a launch date for that multiplex. We’re hoping it will be close to the date of the Wrexham, Chester and Liverpool multiplex, but it has to take into account the transmission operators timings and the period where the weather interferes with builds.
What’s the background to the MoU?
This is a bit of a cut and paste from the release – but it should give you all some background!
The purpose of the MoU is to set out the framework for how to proceed with the build out of local DAB, to increase the coverage initially to 90% of FM equivalence to fulfil the Government criteria for radio switchover, and then to match FM equivalence across the UK.
The MoU outlines three key phases of the process:
The signing of the MoU signifies the beginning of Phase One. Government will now task Ofcom to establish and Chair the Joint Planning for Radio Group (JPRG). The JPRG will be comprised of signatories to the MoU and will look at each multiplex area to establish the most effective means of increasing the coverage in those areas to reach FM equivalence. The JPRG will produce a Technical Switchover Plan and a Switchover Implementation Plan which in combination will outline every technical piece of infrastructure work that needs to be made along with providing when and how the work should be completed.
Phase One also requires five additional local DAB multiplexes to be launched within 18 months of the signing of the MoU. The new multiplexes will be in: Gloucestershire; Hereford and Worcester; Northamptonshire; North East Wales and West Cheshire; and Oxfordshire. [It’s our intention that the MuxCo multiplexes will launch very much towards the beginning of this 18 month period]
Phase Two will be implemented subject to a positive in principle decision on switchover occurring and a further legally binding agreement on funding being in place. The purpose of Phase Two is to increase local DAB coverage to fulfil the switchover criteria of local DAB reaching 90% of FM equivalence. Once the 90% criteria has been reached the Secretary of State will be able to exercise the powers contained in the Broadcasting Act 1990 to nominate a date or dates for radio switchover and enter Phase Three.
Phase Three will be completed once local DAB coverage reaches current FM equivalence.
Why do we think the MoU is a good thing for Digital Radio?
1. We think that strong commitments from the big commercial players, the BBC and the Government helps to give certainty to the smaller players that digital radio is the industry’s future
2. It will enable the expansion and enhancement of local coverage for millions of people
3. It’s good news for digital radio station operators as more people will be able to hear their stations and that marketing messages will be encouraging more listeners to make the switch and discover their stations.
RAJAR has today released audience research for the Quarter ended March 2012 and its great to see further strong growth in digital radio listening.
Key headlines for RAJAR are:
Listening to radio via a digital platform in terms of weekly reach has increased by 5% year on year, with 23.5 million people now tuning in to radio via a digitally enabled receiver (DAB, DTV, internet) each week (up from 22.3 million in Q1 2011).
The share of all radio listening via a digital platform is now 29.2% (against 26.5% in 2011), with DAB’s share increasing by 15% to 19.1% of all listening (16.7% in 2011).
The share of all listening through DTV is now 4.4%, with Internet’s share at 3.9%.
Last week Pure held an event to celebrate 10 years of making beautiful functional DAB radios. Matt, Greg and I attended and enjoyed seeing the display of Pure Evokes from across the last decade, from the first blue nylon-fronted limited run to the smart 2012 union flag issue. We were pleased to celebrate the distance covered with the team from Pure and toast their successes.
It was appropriate timing for us, looking back and forward – not least because earlier the same day I’d had our kick off meeting with our transmission subcontractor, lining things up for the launch of Muxco WCL later this year.
At GCAP (as was) between 2001 and 2007 Greg Matt and I operated over 20 DAB multiplexes and oversaw the launches for a large amount of those.
I became pretty used to launches and multiplexes but that was then. All sorts of things have changed, not always the obvious stuff. Here’s an example.
The more multiplexes you launch the more transmitters there are to inexplicably go on the blink at odd times, like, say 3am.
Back then in 2002 or 2003, as now, I’d always have the phone to hand, and after waking with a jolt to hear what had gone wrong, I would notify station engineers instantly, them similarly half asleep. I think it is fair to say they didn’t always give a flying toss that a DAB transmitter that covered 6 sheep in a field had gone down 3db for four minutes. The sheep could still tune in on FM if they so chose and that was the engineers priority. And could I please get off the phone because did I know it was 3am? Consequently we got better at managing that information in a way that suited the radio stations who are our clients, and the ones who pay the bills.
However in this new landscape here in 2012 a station engineer might actually care very much that his DAB feed is affected, even a small amount. DAB is of greater importance than ever and so I can’t approach things the same way as we used to. We will be using new telemetry, which will be customised to our new requirements – so what requirements would we like?
The radio stations, our clients will be the ones at the centre of this process. Whilst our transmission team crack on with the big pointy mast side of the build, I’ll be getting in touch with the radio station’s tech teams over the coming weeks to work through some practical stuff, and to get a feel for what they need from us.
Generally whenever I talk to people who’ve got in-car DAB they rave about it. Sometimes though I get a big diatribe abut how the signal’s a bit patchy. Oddly though the people I talk to all drive in the same place. A bit of digging and it’s always people who have the plug in adapters that have the trouble. Whilst they can be great devices, you need the aerial bit installed properly to get all the digital radio benefits.
Today, Digital Radio UK have published some details about Volkswagen’s in-house research into digital radio that somewhat proves the point about the need for properly installed sets. Some interesting facts came out of the research.
They talked to 1,000 of their DAB in-car users, 82% said that reception’s good or very good. 72% said they would be disappointed if they no longer had in-car DAB and 50% went on to say that they wouldn’t buy a car without digital radio. When asked what people liked about it 70% said sound quality and 63% new content.